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Country Music Well Represented With Grammy Nominations

January 23, 2010 7:00 PM

Mary Morningstar

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Country Music Well Represented With Grammy Nominations

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The 52nd annual Grammy Awards will be presented on January 31 in Los Angeles, California.

The Zac Brown Band received three Grammy Award nominations, including Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals for its 2008 Number One debut single, "Chicken Fried." Their latest release, "The Foundation," is a contender for Best Country Album, a category the group shares with George Strait, Taylor Swift, Keith Urban and Lee Ann Womack.

The Zac Brown Band is also nominated for the all-genre Best New Artist trophy. Only two other Country artists have won the Best New Artist Grammy, LeAnn Rimes in 1997 and Carrie Underwood in 2007.

The Zac Brown Band, Taylor Swift and Lady Antebellum will represent the Country field by performing live on the three-hour Grammy telecast.

Lee Ann Womack's 2009 hit, "Solitary Thinkin'," earned the Texas native a Grammy nod for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. She faces strong competition in that category from Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood. "Solitary Thinkin'" is from Lee Ann Womack's Grammy-nominated album, "Call Me Crazy." From that same album, "Everything But Quits," her duet with George Strait, is a finalist in the Best Country Collaboration With Vocals category.

Keith Urban could add three Grammy Awards to his mantle. "Sweet Thing" brought him a nomination for Best Male Country Vocal Performance, a category he won in 2005 and 2007. The other Best Male Country Vocal nominees include Trace Adkins, George Strait, Jamey Johnson and Billy Currington.

Billy Currington's Number One song, "People Are Crazy," gave songwriters Bobby Braddock and Troy Jones a Grammy nomination for Best Country Song. They face the writers of Trace Adkins' "All I Ask For Anymore," Jamey Johnson's "High Cost Of Living," Lady Antebellum's "I Run To You" and Taylor Swift's "White Horse."

Taylor Swift's 'Fearless' CD

Continuing her hot streak from 2009, Taylor Swift received more Grammy nominations than any other Country artist. Five of Taylor's eight nods appear in pop and all-genre categories. Her multi-platinum CD, "Fearless", is up against popular releases by The Dave Matthews Band, Beyonce, Lady Gaga, and the Black Eyed Peas for the Best Album win. Taylor's other non-Country nominations are in the Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals categories. Her Best Female Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Song nominations are for the track, "White Horse."